Over 1.8-million foreign tourists have visited the Philippines since it reopened its borders for international travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country has welcomed 1,827,603 foreigners as of Monday, October 24, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

It noted that the majority, or 18.98%, of foreigners, came from the United States, with 346,806 travelers.

South Koreans followed the list of the country’s top tourists with 250,021 or 13.68%.

Also, 85,986 Australians, 78,366 Canadians, and 69,482 travelers from the United Kingdom have visited the country.

The over 1.8-million tourists included overseas Filipinos who came back to the country, which was equivalent to over 28% based on DOT’s latest data.

The DOT initially eyed 1.7-million tourists to come to the country by the end of 2022, which was achieved in early October.

Since February this year, the country welcomed tourists again, specifically those already fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Previously, DOT Sec. Christina Garcia-Frasco announced President Marcos would issue an order to scrap the required COVID-19 test result from fully vaccinated tourists. Meanwhile, unvaccinated travelers could choose to get tested for COVID-19 through antigen either a day before travel or upon arrival. 30